[Ansteorra] Gothic Call To Arms! [Not so LONG as the other guy]

[HE Kainin Tepesa]

Greetings to my brothers and sisters of the mighty
Kingdom of Ansteorra,
from the beleaguered and maligned Baron of Bonwicke,

My good kinsmen I ask you, night terrors? My cousin
seeks to invade my holdings to "test my mettle"
because of his dreams which have unmanned him so? He
should do as my wet nurse did, when the terrors of the
dark frightened me as a small child; drink a dram of
warm milk and leave a taper burning to chase back the
shadows.

However, it appears that his course is set and we in
the west are certainly more than prepared to meet his
forces and decide this matter once and for all. I
would therefore beseech you all to join with Bonwicke
and the Western Region, and fight for the side of
justice. I offer no payment (certainly not in the form
of lands to which I have no claim) beyond honor and
glory but neither do I offer punitive taxation to
those that that choose to stand against us. We must
all follow our hearts, down the path that we feel is
most just, and I will never take issue with a kinsman
that does this, for the heart of all Ansteorrians are
true.

I would offer, that should Bonwicke and the west fail
in this challenge and my Cousin lay claim to lands in
the Western Region, who next will the Bloody Baron cry
out about in the night? He mentions already the lands
of the north and the great Barony of Eldern Hills; are
they next in his crusade to test the strength of the
Kingdom? How many farms and hold-fasts must he claim
before his appetite is sated and he can once again
sleep through the night without fear?

Send word to me, so that I may make your numbers known
to my generals and commanders and so that we might
settle this matter once and for all. We have need of
your swords and bows; as well as your rapiers, skills
in the arts and sciences and the service of all good
people. There is glory and honor to be had by all who
would help the west prove her worth.

Join the heroes of the Western Region!

In service to my Crown and the lands that I serve,
Kainin Tepesa
Baron of Bonwicke




--- Dragonetti <dragonetti at generich.com> wrote:

> Unto the valiant of Elfsea and her noble friends, to
> whom these words do
> reach, do I, Baron Armand Dragonetti, call into
> service!
> 
> Following the King's Round Table, we are well
> pleased at the current state
> of Elfsea. Blessed with resources, exceptional
> peoples, strong finances, and
> impressive fortifications. One would expect the
> nobility to be comfortable
> under such conditions. But verily I say unto you,
> that for twelve days,
> there has been no peaceful slumber to be found by
> your humble Baron. For
> upon each night, just past the midnight hour, have I
> been awakened by a most
> unsettling dream. It is the same each night.
> 
> I am upon my steed, returning from a pleasant week
> of celebration with
> Baroness Katheryn Cunningghame and Their Majesties
> Ansteorra following
> Katheryn's investiture. As I ride west for home, the
> sun is setting as I
> gain sight of Elfsea's eastern castle wall. A smile
> finds my face as the
> sun's rays halo around my beloved home. But as I
> draw closer, the smile
> begins to vanish as I realize the brilliance is not
> from the sun's rays, but
> from the flames now engulfing my beloved home.
> Elfsea has been overrun!
> Animals slaughtered! Farmlands ablaze! The lifeless
> forms of longtime
> friends and vassals, litter the courtyard. With
> weeping around every corner
> and wailing cries heard in the distance. Surveying
> the scene, I find the
> attack came from the west and left Elfsea to the
> north. Looking anxiously
> for any signs of hope, I hear a voice from on high
> say "For did thee rest in
> peace, so shall thee rest evermore!" and as I turn,
> all grows suddenly black
> as another more distant voice echoes "As Elfsea
> retires, so too Eldern...."
> and I awaken, startled and drenched in my bed
> chamber.
> 
> Distraught by this horrific sequence, each evening
> do I dread the setting of
> the sun. With advisors close at hand, we look about
> the kingdom and what do
> we find? To the north, vibrant leaders and good
> relations with the
> Calontiri. To the east, the strength of Steppes and
> Rosenfeld fostering
> close ties with a young Gleann Abhann. The mighty
> baronies and shires of the
> Coast and South, with veteran soldiers at the ready.
> And West, intrepid
> warriors and a hearty populace with fair and
> talented leaders.
> 
> Upon closer inspection I see my cousin, Baron Kainin
> Tepesa, Lord Bonwicke,
> taking up the noble cause of chronicling the affairs
> of the kingdom. A
> worthy endeavor, to be sure, but his travels take
> him far from Bonwicke.
> While the name Ruspoli still engenders fear in the
> land, is it not unwise to
> leave Bonwicke for such long periods of time? While
> the West has proven to
> muster adequate defense, given several months to
> prepare, should an
> aggressive adversary descend suddenly, I fear
> Bonwicke's fate and that of my
> friends in the region could be swift. Has my cousin
> grown over-confident?
> That he can journey for extended periods of time,
> far from home? If Bonwicke
> were overrun, what next? Our beloved Elfsea and
> Dragonsfire Tor? The shires
> of Loch Ruadh and Emerald Keep, the shining canton
> of Glaslyn, indeed the
> whole of the Central region, perhaps remote parts of
> the Northern as well.
> Surely, prudence dictates they share a margin of
> concern here.
> 
> My oath of fealty to safeguard the lands entrusted
> to me by Their Majesties,
> King Ulsted and Queen Ebergardis, compels me to
> confirm my suspicions or lay
> them to rest. Thus, I have issued forth a challenge
> to my good cousin, the
> Baron of Bonwicke, to meet with me at the end of
> this month, to test his
> readiness in short order. Not to cast irrevocable
> harm upon my friends and
> kinsmen, but to fortify them! For if they prove
> ready, all is well and our
> benevolent crown may be at ease. If weakness is
> uncovered, then again, we
> shall have served our Sovereign by exposing Kainin's
> complacency before our
> enemies do so. 
> 
> If Baron Kainin, is indeed ill-prepared, the crown
> shall have immediate need
> to assign stewards to the vast unprotected crown
> lands in the West, and
> those Peers, Knights, Masters-At-Arms and Dons, who
> join my mission will
> surely be rewarded with an increase in their
> estates. Regardless, all shall
> enjoy abundant beef and ale during the evenings
> festivities following our
> crusade. 
> 
> So what say you? Our cause is just, let your heart
> be at ease. Will you
> answer the call-to-arms and join me at the ancient
> Gothic War site? Will you
> take pride in hardening the steel of the Western
> forces as well as our own,
> for the benefit of the entire kingdom? Or will you
> remain at home, cozy in
> your cottages and luxurious country manors, to leave
> your safety to others? 
> 
> For those noble of heart and strong in honor, the
> choice is simple. Join
> Baron Armand, the Elfsea Guard and the Defenders of
> Elfsea in this crusade
> to safeguard the kingdom!!! Pray, send word to me
> and the general of our
> forces, Count Romanius, current chivalric Defender
> of Elfsea, to have your
> name duly chronicled in the history of Ansteorra. We
> shall also note those
> who do not answer the call, and reassess their
> equitable taxation. So to
> your own heart...be true!
> 
> In the service of kingdom, crown and barony, I
> remain,
> His Excellency Armand Dragonetti
> Bloody Baron of Elfsea
> Lord Dragonsfire Tor
> Watch Guard of the West
> 
> Nec Hostium Timete Nec Amicum Recusate
> Fear No Enemy, Deny No Friend 


       
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